Hello Kitty store. Everything in the place related to this.
There was a shop in Sutter Creek, California, that just sold dog collars.
There’s Sunglass Hut.
And a Spice Merchants store near me. Nothing but spices. Smells wonderful.
I suspect that their real business is in resetting odometers so a car can be fraudulently sold as having fewer miles on it. Obviously, the car companies take measures to make this more difficult, so a specialized skill set and/or tools are needed to pull it off. That specialized skillset/tools are what the shop is advertising.
A store that sells pest-control products (rat traps, poisons, etc.) and Christian religious supplies (bibles, crucifixes, rosary beads, etc.).
This isn’t just an idea from fiction. In 1979 I visited a store in London called “Anything Left Handed Ltd”. I still have a “backwards” ruler I bought there.
And what do you know, I’ve just Googled it and they are still around: Here’s their online site, stating that they have been around since 1967.
I go there whenever I don’t have thyme.
mmm
My all-time favorite store was just outside of River Falls, WI. There was a sign out front that said “Cheese and Taxidermy”.
I would suspect that the higher the city’s density is the greater chance of finding very specialized stores since there will be enough people close enough to make the store viable. That being said I always thought that the hot sauce store on cannery row in Monterey is pretty specialized.
There’s an oil and vinegar store in Canandaigua and they’ve been in business for several years. They sell aged balsamic and spice-infused oils and I think the cheapest pints is around $10. The only times I’ve been there was during the holiday season but they are always busy then (with around 4 other customers in there.)
Maybe they are more common, and I have never noticed before but places that sell only popcorn strike me as wierd.
My city has a similar store called The Enchanted Willow. I shop there once in a while to buy incense sticks. They have the biggest variety around.
Also heavily visited tourist towns tend to have some really specific stores.
I think Las Vegas still has that hot sauce store that was two stories tall. I also remember Circus Circus having a storefront that exclusively sold magic trick kits.
I suppose vintage candy really doesn’t qualify as oddly specific, but it is definitely a niche market.
There’s another one around here called Powell’s that does the same thing. They’re a chain, but I don’t know how big a one. They have Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on endless loop on a screen in the back. I like them.
I thought Rocket Fizz was more known for weird and vintage soda (though they definitely have candy too).
The Bone Room in Berkeley. Now closed, though they still have an online presence.
There are multiple stores in the Greater Toronto area that sell only various types of lucky cat figurines.
I visited a store in Seattle that sold nothing but socks. I don’t remember what it was called. (This was in the late 90s, so it might be gone.)
we have a vintage/normal candy store here and they sell rocket fizz soda …
Not sure about that one, but the Strip does have an all Coca-Cola store and an all M&Ms store.